This blog was created for Niles Animal Hospital & Bird Medical Center by Peter S. Sakas DVM in an effort to provide information & discussion about animal related issues. It may move into some eccentric directions on occasion if the mood strikes me as I get more comfortable in this form of communication. I am open to suggestions & comments about the blog. Also view our hospital website www.nilesanimalhospital.com or Facebook page Niles Animal Hospital and Bird Medical Center.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

The Reasons to Seek Help from a Veterinarian in a Zombie Apocalypse

5 Reasons You Would Want a Veterinarian on Your Team in a Zombie Apocalypse

This is from an article on the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) website.

In the latest set of episodes of AMC's zombie series The Walking Dead, a new character was
introduced to the show, Dr. Hershel Greene, who helped treat and save the
life of a critically injured child. Dr. Greene, however, is not a
physician, but a veterinarian.

Now, under normal circumstances, of course, we would never recommend
that a veterinarian treat a human, but in the midst of a zombie
apocalypse, well ... physicians might be hard to come by, governing
boards and malpractice laws are out the window, and if one of your party
is bleeding to death, a veterinarian just might give that person the
best chance of survival.

Which got us thinking ... how else might a veterinarian prove useful
in a zombie apocalypse? Here are our top 5 reasons you'd want a
veterinarian as part of your zombie apocalypse team:

They have a better chance at surviving: In the
event of a zombie apocalypse, survivors are at a premium, and losing
members of your group will make you much more vulnerable. The biggest
risk is getting bitten by a zombie. Well, who's better at avoiding bites
than a veterinarian?

They can provide medical care: Again,
pre-apocalypse, see your physician. Post-apocalypse, if a physician
isn't available, you couldn't do much better than having a veterinarian
treat your (non-zombie-bite) wounds and illnesses. Veterinarians spend
at least four years post-grad training to care for ALL species, so while
the general anatomy might be slightly different, they're probably not
going to be overwhelmed by the prospect of working on human patients.

They can take care of the animals: With
electrical grids down and gasoline no longer in production, you're going
to be relying on animals much more: Dogs for protection, horses for
transportation, livestock for food and labor. A veterinarian will make
sure these highly valuable animals are well treated, healthy and
performing at a high level.

They can make sure your food is safe: Without
grocery stores, restaurants or refrigerators—not to mention state and
federal oversight—obtaining, storing and preparing food will provide a
whole new set of challenges for most people. Veterinarians have
experience in ensuring food safety and testing; many work nationally to
ensure food safety at processing plants and distribution centers, or
across the globe working to make sure food for our troops is safe to
eat. Unsure if the remaining meat from a deer carcass ravaged by zombies
is safe to eat? Consult the veterinarian!

They can find a cure: Veterinarians are experts
at studying the causes and distribution of diseases, or epidemiology.
They've been invaluable in determining the source and distribution of
several diseases that pose risk to humans, such as rabies, SARS, and
West Nile virus. Veterinarians might be able to determine what causes
people to turn into zombies and develop a cure. Why aren't animals
infected? Perhaps there's an epidemiological clue there!

Veterinarians bring an enormous amount of talents to the table:
They're trained to treat all animals, from mice to elephants, from
aardvarks to zebras and everything in between. They have expertise in
animal welfare, food safety, environmental protection and public health.
They work all over the world, in all types of fields, helping to ensure
the health of animals and people. And, in the event of a zombie
apocalypse, they might just be the most valuable survivors of all.

Talk to your veterinarian today about his or her zombie apocalypse plans!